Ehrlich ads going up on Washington TV Thursday

Former Maryland governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) will air his campaign's first television ads in the Washington region Thursday, arriving two weeks behind Gov. Martin O'Malley (D).

Ehrlich said the ad is positive in nature and acknowledged in an interview Wednesday that he's been hurt in Montgomery and Prince George's counties by O'Malley's ad presence in recent weeks.

"No doubt," Ehrlich said.

During an appearance in Baltimore County before the Greater Baltimore Economic Forum, Ehrlich attributed his slippage in recent statewide polls to O'Malley's ads -- both positive and negative -- in the Washington region.

"That gets fixed tomorrow," Ehrlich told the group.

O'Malley has been on the air since Sept. 21 in Washington market, which is significantly more expensive than the Baltimore market.

In the few details that Bob Ehrlich has released, I read in the Associated Press that Ehrlich planned to cut funding to Prince George's County Schools and Montgomery County Schools in a program called the Geographic Cost of Education Index. Baltimore City Schools are also slated for cuts in the Ehrlich Plan. Why does he want to cut our school funding??? I don't care what he says on TV, he should not cut our school funding!!

Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. this morning repeated a pledge made last week that he if elected governor he would cut an education grant that goes *primarily* to Prince George's and Montgomery counties and Baltimore city.

"It is not part of the baseline," he said. "If the dollars are there, we'll fund it," he said. Asked if the dollars would be there he said: "Of course not."

His words come hours before Prince George's County Executive-elect Rushern Baker and Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett plan to hold a news conference criticizing him for that call. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, whose city also stands to lose money, is not planning on participating, according to the press release.

Separately , Ehrlich told business leaders that a pair of polls showing his opponent, Gov. Martin O'Malley, with a sizable lead was driven by "weeks of negative ads" from the governor's team. Ehrlich hinted that his campaign is preparing his back. "That gets fixed tomorrow," he said.

The Republican former governor also offered a new answer to an old question about how he would work with Democratic leaders in the General Assembly. "We are going to medicate Miller and defeat Busch," he quipped. )

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